New School Year Resolution

Owen will be turning 5 on Sunday.

Claire and Owen will be starting school Monday. Claire will be a second grader and Owen will be going 5 days a week in PreK.

Next Sunday, Bree will be 2.

When I think about all this, my head spins!  As much as I know my kids are growing up, it always feels like it sneaks up on me.  That is the hard part about my busy life, I feel like I can never stop in the moment and realize what in the world is going on.  Our vacation last week, I really relaxed and looked at each kid and thought about how much they are changing.

Claire - She is a big girl now. She is so concerned about her clothes and accessories and loves fashion.  She also is very interested in what words mean and is always asking questions about God and why we do things the way we do.  She is very emotional and can get embarrassed.  That snuck up on us as she is growing up.  I still see her as the same little girl that would walk through the house after a bath and I would have to make her wear a towel :).  Now, she wants NO ONE around when she is changing clothes.  She is a good mother to Bree and is so kind hearted.  She is also a sassy butt and always has to put her word in on every subject.  She has started rolling her eyes and stomping off when mad.  She challenges me more than anything and I have to always take a deep breath and realize she is only 7 before I start arguing with her :).  She just seems so old now and that makes me crazy!  I am looking forward to her growing up to be the southern lady she is destined to be and the many years that I hope we are really close!  My prayer for Claire is that we continue to grow our relationship and that our mother daughter relationship is the same as mine with my mom. 

Owen - He is his own little man.  Owen is independent and VERY opinionated.  He used to be quiet and just go with the flow, but now he HAS to have the last word.  He can do very little wrong in my eyes and that makes it hard :).  He will hold his own with Claire now and we are always intervening on the two of them.  He is very cautious, but is also very adventurous.  He is his Daddy all over again. Seriously, every day, I see more of Shane in him.  He will not take NO for an answer and for the first time in his little life, he finds himself in trouble quite a bit.  I love that he is developing his own little personality and standing up for himself though, we always thought he would just do whatever and let Claire be the ring leader...not so much.  He is VERY protective of his sisters and we LOVE that.  All his teachers loved him last year and I expect this year to be the same.  He is a charmer :). My prayer for Owen is that he continues to be a good boy at school and at home. Not going to lie, I also pray for less fits when he is told no :).

Bree - Bree has changed the most!! She is talking in full sentences and repeats everything.  She is a mess!  Seriously, a little mess.  She is dressed and then an hour a later, she is filthy. She is no longer a baby and is a toddler.  She thinks she is bigger than she is and tries to do every thing Owen does.  She has every man in our family wrapped around her chubby finger.  It is hilarious watching these grown men melt around her.  As independent as she is, she is still attached to her people.  We have a lot of work in the coming months of making her more independent (ie sleeping in her own bed and going to her church class) and it will be hard on me.  I am really sad about her growing up and I have a hard time with it.  In the past I always knew there would be one more baby, but now it is done and she is growing up.  My prayer for Bree is very specific - she starts sleeping in her own bed and takes potty training with ease.  Most of my prayers concerning Bree are more prayers for me :).

I am putting a "New School Year Resolution" on myself this year. The first is I am challenging myself to continue blogging milestones.  I go back and read blogs like this and smile as things change almost every week.  So it is nice to read about the kids at that time and what they were doing.  Since I am all sad about the kids growing up today, of course I went back and read blogs when they started school last year and they actually made me smile.

The second part of my resolution is to be more organized.  Claire is going to be taking a lot of dance and Owen will have activities as well. Now that I am back at work too, we have a recipe for disaster.  Last year, even with me working from home, I felt there were times that I could have been more organized.  So this year, we are going to get ahead of the game.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I ordered an Erin Condren life planner and created a Home Organization Binder (thanks Blue Eyed Bride).  I have been using both for about a week and I already feel so much better. 

I keep my calender in the life planner.  I keep all my daily planners/duties for work and such in my big binder, along with a tab for each kid, menu planning, prayer requests, party planning, vacation planning etc.  We have the kids' Parent Orientation tonight and you bet your booty I will have my planners with me to keep all the information we receive :). I even made Shane a "Daddy's Planner" with a Razorback on the front of it that I will keep updated for him to know what is going on :).

This is a big challenge to myself and I am really excited that the kids are back in school to start utilizing this new system.  Now that I put in in writing on the ole blog, now I am accountable!

Now on to other things...

I used to love shopping for school supplies. Not so much anymore.  I went Sunday by myself to WM to tackle both lists and I left that place a mess!! It was insane and I no longer like shopping for school supplies. :)

My kids go to private school and they wear polo style, solid shirts and khaki, navy or denim shorts, skorts, capris or pants.  They also have to wear tennis shoes, or closed toe shoes, with socks.  Oh and Claire has to wear a belt.  That does not make for fun back to school clothes shopping.  The only times we get creative are with their shoes and belts.  If Claire tells me that she won't wear bows or flowers anymore, I might lose it.  Shane loves the uniforms, less school shopping :).  But yall know me, I still manage to blow the budget!

I think this post could have been better titled "Why I am CRAZY."

Happy back to school!!!!